Mercury Accumulation in Biota of Tributaries of the Finger Lakes, New York
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is an aquatic pollutant whose availability to a given waterbody is closely tied to watershed characteristics. Transport of Hg from watersheds to waterbodies is controlled primarily by dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and suspended particulate matter. This study was conducted to assess accumulation of Hg in biota of tributaries of five Finger Lakes watersheds in New York, USA. Very little is known regarding Hg dynamics within Finger Lakes stream food webs or how tributaries contribute to Hg transport to the lakes themselves. Sources of Hg in the region include atmospheric pollution from an active coal-fired power plant. Between May and October 2015, two species of stream fish (Blacknose Dace, Rhinichthys atratulus, and Creek Chub, Semotilus atromaculatus) were collected by backpack electrofishing. At the same time, benthic macroinvertebrates representing various feeding groups and periphyton were collected for methylmercury determination. Samples for suspended particulate matter, DOC, and specific ultraviolet absorbance were also collected. The study objectives were to determine 1) whether differences existed in fish biota Hg concentrations among lake watersheds, and 2) the influence of DOC and land use on observed biota Hg accumulation patterns. Preliminary analyses of fish Hg results indicate a difference in accumulation between the two indicator species selected. Mercury concentrations were found to increase with fish size. Across all lake watersheds, Creek Chub were found to be significantly larger than Blacknose Dace. However, there was no significant difference in Hg concentrations between the two species. A within watershed analysis of five Seneca Lake tributaries showed that average Hg concentrations were significantly higher in Blacknose Dace than Creek Chub. This suggests this species is more vulnerable to Hg accumulation and a better indicator of Hg availability. No significant differences were found in Creek Chub Hg concentrations among watersheds, but Blacknose Dace did reveal significant differences among the five lake watersheds investigated. This presentation will include results of a mixed effects general linear model to assess land use and DOC as predictors of Finger Lakes tributary biota Hg concentrations.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFM.B33D0641C
- Keywords:
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- 0409 Bioavailability: chemical speciation and complexation;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 0414 Biogeochemical cycles;
- processes;
- and modeling;
- BIOGEOSCIENCESDE: 1610 Atmosphere;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 1622 Earth system modeling;
- GLOBAL CHANGE